Inhale
by The Ugliest Angel
Summary: One night before a performance at the Cirque, Darren discovers a scrawny-looking girl. He soon realizes that looks can be deceiving, very much so. CHAPTER 5(Romance will be later)
1. Orange Eyes

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything, obviously. And I gotta apologize if the characters are just a _bit_ out of character. This is my first time writing a Darren Shan fanfic.

A girl in her mid-teens stood leaning casually on the wall of the old abandoned church that the Cirque was performing that night. She wasn't very pretty or vibrant; in fact she seemed quite the opposite. It was October, and the air was gelid with frost. And yet here she was, dressed in a white T-shirt and a pair of loose-fitting jeans with frayed ends. But that wasn't what caught my eye.

She had black hair that fell below her shoulders and blew in choppy wisps around her face. There were tiny, abundant scratches zigzagging down her left arm and two big ones on her wrist, although they were just nicks in her skin, with no sign of bleeding what so ever. Her eyes were closed and she seemed deep in thought. Her skin was deathly pale, like she was sick or something. I could hear her breathe even from where I stood. She wheezed and her breathing was ragged. It sounded like bronchitis.

Suddenly she leaned her head foreword and let out a quiet moan and a whimper escaped her lips. I narrowed my eyes, contemplating whether or not I should see if she was all right.

She stood back upright, pushed the hair out of her face and slid down to a sitting position, pillowing her head in her knees and wrapping her arms around her legs.

Finally I decided there wouldn't be any harm to just talk to her, so I jogged over. She didn't seem to notice that I was approaching her so I crouched upon my haunches and tapped her shoulder.

"'Scuse me, are you alright?" I asked, trying to get a look at her face. She lifted her head and I got the shock of my life. Her eyes were pure orange. Tearstains formed damp lines down her face.

She just looked at me with a melancholy gaze, her brow furrowed in a pitiful frown.

"What's wrong?" I asked, trying not to show my surprise. She turned her head. I sighed.

"I'm fine. I just got in a fight, but I'm fine." She croaked, her voice broken from crying.

"Yeah, and that's why you were crying." I said in a sarcastic tone.

She ran a hand across her eyes, wiping away her tears. "Just go away, alright?"

I tilted my head to the side. "Are you hungry? You look like you haven't eaten in a while. There's food inside."

"I'm fine, dammit." She hissed, turning away. When I say 'hissed', I mean she literally _hissed_. Like a cat would hiss.

"Come on, you don't want at least a bite to eat? I'm not offering anything more." I said.

"I am not hungry." She kept her head firmly away from my line of vision.

"At least come inside and take a look around. Maybe you'll change your mind."

She hesitated before nodding. "Fine. I'll have _some_ dinner, but then I'm gone."

"Fair enough." I nodded, standing and helping her to her feet. "Darren Shan." I stuck out a hand.

She stared at it before shaking it impersonally. "Twig." She said and followed me inside the church.

I led her through the crowd of performers. I expected a flood of questions about them, or at least a disgusted look. But she just kept her head bowed and eyes cast down as she walked beside me. We sat down at a table and I handed her a plate of cold pizza. She stuffed it in her mouth like a rabid animal and gulped down her coke viscously.

Within a few minutes she finished and pushed the plate away. "Thanks." She mumbled. "I'll be going now." I pressed my lips together, confused by her mysterious personality.

"Hey Darren!" A familiar voice called. I turned to see Evra. He sat down beside me. "Who's this?"

Before I could open my mouth, Twig quickly introduced herself. Evra cocked a brow.

"Twig?" He murmured under his breath, as if trying to get used to the name, but then shrugged. "Evra." He said coolly. "Are you staying for the show?"

"Show?" Twig's orange optics narrowed.

"Yeah." I said. "The people here are in a traveling freak show, Cirque Du Freak. They're putting a show on tonight, if you wanna stick around." Her lips curled inward.

"A freak show?" She tipped her head to the right.

"You know, like-"

"I know what a freak show is." She snapped loudly. "I thought those were illegal." She folded her arms, lowering her voice.

"They are." Evra laughed. "Why do you think we're performing in a run-down dump like this?"

The corners of her mouth twitched and she smirked in a rotten way. "SO are you two the main attraction?" She asked.

"Yep." Evra said in a 'matter-of-fact' way. Her eyes widened and her pupils constricted in a cat-like way to the point where they had the width of a pinhead. She was about to retort when Mr. Crepsley strode towards me.

"Darren I-" He stopped dead in his tracks, his sights landing on Twig, whose eyes grew even more. "I do not believe we have had the pleasure of meeting." He said in an unfavorable tone. I knew that voice. He used it when I had attacked him when he was after Murlough. But that was nearly a year ago.

"No." Twig answered in an equally hostile way. "Name's Twig."

As if right on cue, Mr. Tall quickly walked beside his friend. "I'm afraid the show requires you to have a ticket." He stuck out one hand, beckoning her for something. She glared at it like rat poison.

"I'm not staying for the show." She said, pulling her arms behind her back and holding onto her wrist protectively. She was like a feline, furtive, shifty. I could just sense her fear. "I was just leaving."

And Mr. Crepsley did too. "Perhaps you would like to stay? It is a frore night."

"No I'm good." She recoiled slightly.

His eyes strayed across her wounded arms. "My dear girl, you are in no shape to be wandering the hinterland. If you allow, I would graciously lend you a hammock for a night or two."

She cringed. "First of all, I'm not a _girl_, I'm a _woman_." She paused. "Second of all, and _sorry_ if I sound a bit _rude_ but I don't sleep in the company of strangers."

I was enjoying watching Mr. Crepsley try to bite his tongue. He was strict as hell, but when it came to females, he knew he needed to be a gentleman. If that were me, I'd probably be dead by then.

"I beg your pardon, _my good woman_, but I can assure you that you are in safe hands whilst in the company of the Cirque." He turned to Mr. Tall. "Am I right, Hibernuis?"

Mr. Tall looked at Mr. Crepsley for a minute before nodding. "Yes, Larten is right. You need not fear. In fact, I will make it my personal amenability to see to it that you are safe and sound." Twig's brow furrowed again and it was evident that she was distraught. She backed away a little, like a cornered animal.

"I can take care of myself." She snapped, seemingly offended by them. "I'm not helpless."

"And I dare not imply that you are." Mr. Crepsley said, as if talking to a young child who didn't understand. "All I ask is that you allow us to tend to your wounds."

"Why?" She asked, but it sounded more like a statement, a skeptical expression on her doughy features.

Mr. Tall sighed impatiently. "Larten, Twig," He said her name rather curtly. "Would you care to step into my caravan?" Twig's lips pursed with disgust, but she decided that there was no use in arguing and tagged behind the two.

Evra and I exchanged confused looks, but let it go.

That night's show was canceled for some reason and I didn't see Mr. Crepsley, Mr. Tall or Twig for the whole evening.

I lay in my hammock, in the clutches of darkness, struggling to fall asleep. I listened to Evra's deep and even breathing and it began to lull me into a light slumber.

Just when my eyes had closed, someone entered. Judging by the voices, I could tell it was Mr. Crepsley, but the other one I couldn't recognize. The vampire sounded agitated as he spoke in an undertone.

"…Even attempt to escape unless you have a very desperate death wish." He growled.

"And if you tell anyone anything, I'll make sure that _you have_ a very desperate death wish." Twig's saucy voice cooed. Mr. Crepsley grunted in disgust and left her. I listened closely. She shuffled around on the floor for a few minutes before going silent, but she wasn't sleeping.

I opened my eyes, searching the tent, but there was no trace of her. I looked on the ground.

"WHAT!" She seemed to have appeared out of thin air, neon orange eyes scowling at me. I gasped quietly, surprised. Wouldn't you be surprised to see someone's eyes glowing in the dark? "Well?" Twig hissed.

"What did Mr. Crepsley say to you?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"Nothing you need to know." She turned away and stared out into space. For a minute there was an awkward silence.

"Is your name really Twig?" I cringed, embarrassed at asking such a lame question. But there was nothing else to talk about.

"No."

"Then what is it?"

She glared at me. "Why do you care?"

I shrugged. "Dunno. Does it matter?"

"Yes, yes it _does_," She turned on her side, her back to me. "Now shut up. I'm trying to sleep."

I smiled wryly, itching to annoy her a little more, but decided that she probably had gone through enough and exhaled loudly, quickly slipping into a deep sleep.

"My name's really long." She mumbled.

"What is it?" I turned on my side.

"Exodus Desdemona-Fallon Nephthys." She sighed. "But don't call me that. I hate that name. Too long."

"If you say so."

The next night, Mr. Tall announced that the Cirque's performances had been cancelled until further notice. Upon hearing this news, I went straight to Mr. Crepsley, demanding to know why the show had been postponed.

"There is business that needs to be taken care of." He said, not looking me in the eye, seeming distant.

CLICK. "Does this have anything to do with Twig?"

The vampire cocked a brow but was silent.

I narrowed my eyes. "We agreed, no secrets." I called after him as he began walking away. He halted.

"I am afraid there is not much I can tell you, but may I suggest talking to the girl?" Before I could protest, he swiftly walked away.

I met up with Evra at the tent. Twig wasn't there. "Have you heard?" I asked.

"Yeah, the Cirque's been delayed." He didn't seem to mind too much though. Evra had been complaining lately about how he wanted a break and well, here it was.

"I think this has something to do with that girl, Twig." I was talking in a low voice, hoping that no one would hear.

The snake-boy pondered that for a moment. "But why would she stop the whole show? Nothing has ever stood in the way of a show."

I was about to reply when Twig entered, looking annoyed as usual. Evra and me watched in silence as she huffed and sat down onto Evra's hammock and folded her arms. Her head snapped up to look at us sharply, her cold optics cutting into us. "What?" She growled.

"Nothing." I replied. Pause.

"Well go on. Just pretend I'm not here." She didn't seem to be trying to sound cruel but there was acid on her tongue.

Evra stared shamelessly. "Why are you still here? You're free to leave now, you know."

"Those people, Larten and Hibernius, won't let me leave. So I'm afraid you're stuck with me for a while." Her voice grew softer and she sighed.

"How come?" I asked, intrigued.

"Does it matter?" She barked her voice surprisingly sharp.

"Just curious." I backed away as me and Evra reclined on my hammock.

"Whatever." She rolled her strange eyes. "So, what's the deal with you, Snaky? Is that a costume or just some weird skin disease?"

"If that was supposed to be offensive-" Evra said.

"It wasn't." Twig mumbled.

"I was born like this. I had two normal parents, but they gave me away and I ended up here, to make a long story short." He stopped for a minute. "Wanna see something of interest?"

"Hell, why not." Twig said. Evra stuck out his long tongue and ran it up a nostril. I expected a disgusted squeal but her face resembled a slab of solid ice.

"Huh. That's definitely something." She tipped her head to the side, looking at me in a way that sent shivers up my spine. I was rapidly beginning to dislike her. "And what about you? Are you just here for the ride or are you a freak like Snaky?"

"Actually," I grinned. "I'm a vampire. Half-vampire, to be exact."

Twig scoffed and leaned back in the hammock. "Convince me. I know Snaky's not kidding but you don't look like you're anything _special_."

"I wish I could but there's really no way to show you that I'm half-vampire. You can ask anyone though, they'd know. Especially Mr. Crepsley-"

"Who?" She interrupted, sitting up.

"Larten." I quickly said.

"Oh." Twig nodded and leaned back again.

"Anyways, he was the one who blooded me, in other words, he's the one who turned me into a vampire. I've been his assistant for four years now. I can't do a lot of the stuff he does, like knock people out by just breathing on them, but I am stronger then the average human and I have extra tough nails."

"Yeah, right. I'm supposed to believe that?" She gave a nasty laugh. "Like I said, convince me." She held out her hand. "Nothing's ever made me bleed, and I doubt that you will, but just for the heck of it, why don't you try?"

I hesitated. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Her lips curled into an impish smile. "Don't be scared. I like it when it hurts." She said in a low voice. I couldn't help but blush and looked at Evra. He looked a bit weirded out.

I carefully took a nail and ran it hard and swift across her wrist. She winced, and for a moment I regretted my action, but as I looked, nothing came. No blood, not even a red mark. All that appeared was a shallow gash the same tone as the rest of her arm.

Twig started laughing. "What'd I tell you? Your nails are nothing I haven't seen before. Trust me. And I still don't believe that you're a vampire."

"How… I mean, aren't you supposed to be…" I couldn't form words. To be perfectly honest, I was genuinely dumbfounded for the first time in years.

"My skin is most likely the toughest substance that this world has ever seen. Nothing can cut me. I've never bled in my life. I'll hurt, but I'll never bleed. I'm also immune to any virus. No matter what it is, it won't affect me. But, if you want to know, a few things can kill me." She stopped talking then.

"What?" Evra and I asked, synchronized.

She burst out in a demonic cackle. "You think I'd tell you what could kill me? Do you honestly believe I will let the two of you know the thing that will bring my demise? Do you take me for a fool?" She wiped tears away from her lower lashes.

"What are you?" Evra asked, shaking his head.

She walked over to us and leaned in close, and, speaking in a mellow tone, said, "Do you _really_ want to know?" Seeing her eyes up close, I could tell they were like solid colored glass… they had no reflection. I couldn't see Evra or myself for that fact, in her pupils.

She walked out of the tent, without words, and that stupid smirk on her face.

**A/N: Well? Is it good? Bad? Did you like it or did it make you wanna puke? Review, please. It'll help me improve if my story isn't up to par.**


	2. Transmogrify

**A/N: Sorry about not updating for a long time, I've been really sick and still am but I'll try to write. Oh yeah, and I don't own anything except for Twig.**

Chapter Two: Transmogrify

It was around five in the afternoon when I woke up to the sound of people talking outside. I rolled out of my hammock unceremoniously and lazily walked out of the tent, right into Evra, with his snake wrapped loosely around his neck.

"What's… going on?" I drawled, trying hard to get rid of the drowsy feeling still lingering inside me.

"See for yourself," Evra nodded his head towards something that the entire cast of Cirque Du Freak was crowding around. I pushed through the freaks only to see Twig being 'attacked' by Hans Hands.

"Do it again!" He cried while she stared at him in disgust.

"No!" She slapped him away, but he just moved closer.

"Please!" he begged. "Just once more!"

"Why?" She yelled. "It's not even that amazing! My god, what's wrong with you?"

He glanced at me. "Darren hasn't seen it yet!"

She gave an exasperated growl. "Fine, but this is the last time! You have no idea how hard it is to do." She gestured for me to come closer. I hesitated but Evra gave me a gentle poke in the back and I slowly approached her.

She took a step back, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A loud crackling sound was suddenly emitted from her as her body trembled and with no warning, her entire form changed into a leopard-like creature. It wasn't as if it just happened. It took around twenty minutes, and it was just a little bit disturbing. My mouth dropped like a dead fly. I had seen a lot of weird things but nothing came close to this. From behind me cheers were emitted.

On all fours, she was almost as tall as I was. Ebony fur covered her canid body, along with a few stripes of copper that ran along her abdomen and up her cranium. But she wasn't like a normal feline, because instead of one tail, there were two bushy ones sprouting from her backside.

A light growl rumbled in her throat before she reverted to her humanoid body, panting as if she was worn out from the process. I gawked at Twig, perplexed by her yet again.

"Okay…" She gasped for breath, her eyelids shuttering her away from the world. "That's… the last… time." She placed a hand over her stomach.

"How did you…" I shook my head.

Her eyes shot open, glaring at me. "Why would I tell you, of all the people in the world, why you?" She barked.

Someone started clapping slowly behind me. I turned, coming face to face with Mr. Tall. "Very good, Twig." He spoke in a drawn out tone. "I'm impressed."

She stuck up her middle finger, mouthed, 'Fuck you,' and stomped away. A few of the performers muttered about how 'uncivilized and rude' she was, and the crowd dissipated.

I turned to Evra. "How many times did she do that?"

"Three," He explained. "The first time, you were still asleep and Hans found her in her other shape. He thought she was a Hell dog, but she went back to her human form before he could say anything. So he called everyone over and made her do it again. And the third time, well, you were there." He shrugged.

I didn't expect him to be as shocked as I was. After all, when you live and work at the Cirque, you get used to seeing strange things. That was a little too strange for my liking though.

"Let's go find her," Evra said after a short silence. I shot him a look.

"Are you crazy?" I shook my head. "Why do you wanna go after _her_? She's mean and not to mention a little scary."

He gave me a mocking grin. "Don't tell me you're scared of her, Darren?" he taunted. "And here I was, thinking you were fearless."

"Shut up!" I shouted a little louder then I wanted to and punched him lightly in the shoulder, not really wanting to hurt him. "Fine, I'll go and look for her, just to show you I'm not scared of her."

"Okay." Evra drew his shoulders together and I grumbled under my breath.

We found Twig sitting behind the church, playing with a blade of grass. She seemed deep in thought, the pupils of her marmalade eyes once again hairbreadth slits. Evra and me hid around a corner, watching her curiously.

Actually, I was watching her hands. Her index fingers were twitching oddly, and she ripped out a tiny yellow flower, then continued to rummage through the over-grown weeds. I watched her carefully pluck another flower, this time it was one with dark turquoise petals and a midnight blue center, most likely a wildflower.

I crept closer, dried leaves crackling beneath me. I cringed, feeling the intensity of Twig's heated glare. "What do you want?" She spoke in a sibilant manner.

"We just wanna chat," Evra said innocently, approaching her. She sprung back as if Evra had just threatened to dismember her.

"Well, go away," She turned and crouched on her haunches, searching through the crabgrass once again.

Evra ignored her half-hearted warning and leaned over beside her. "What are you doing?" He asked. I was a bit alarmed at his weird behavior; usually I was the one trying to annoy her.

I could hear her grinding her teeth as she looked at Evra with a vicious pique burning on her expression. "You're not gonna leave, are you?" She sat back on her rear.

Evra grinned impishly, then looked at me. "I brought Darren along, too." He gestured for me to come over.

"Whoo, now it's a party," Her voice oozed with sarcasm. I reluctantly dragged my feet over to them and dropped beside Evra.

"So, what _are_ you doing?" I looked at her left hand, which was clutching a wide arrangement of flora.

She sighed exasperatedly. "I'm picking flowers," I blinked.

"No, seriously," Evra said slowly.

A loud groan resonated in her throat. "I really am picking flowers," She made sure to glare at Evra and me while saying this. "And if you tell anyone, I swear to god I will kill you."

"Our lips are sealed," Evra laughed.

"What? It's not funny," She growled, then returned to searching. After an awkward silence, she grumbled, "After I pick the flowers, I press them in my notebook. It helps take my mind off of things."

"What sort of things?" Evra inquired. She kept her gaze on the ground.

"Just things," I barely heard her say. "So, why are you here, really."

"Like I said," Evra cut me off before I could speak. "We just wanna chat."

Twig snickered quietly. "Why would you wanna talk to me?"

Evra shrugged. "I wanted to ask, why are you so…"

"Mean? Cruel? Savage? Heartless? Grim?" She paused to look up at us. "Should I go on?"

"Why _are_ you like that?" I settled my hands behind me and leaned on them.

An unexpectedly mournful look washed over her stony face. "I have my reasons," She pulled a cornflower roughly out of the dirt and placed it into her left hand.

I heaved a sigh. "Don't you ever get tired of being so secretive?"

"No," She plucked another flower, this time it was a big yellow one that resembled a mini sunflower.

Evra studied her intensely. She must have noticed because she looked up. "What?" She said, annoyance clear in her voice. "What do you want now?"

"Nothing," He was quiet for a minute. "What are you hiding?" He finally said. She stopped running her hands through the grass and sighed desperately.

"I'm hiding a lot, okay?" She sounded like she was going to break into tears any minute. Neither Evra nor I had seen her so vulnerable since she had arrived.

"I had a really bad past." Twig's pupils grew in size instead of narrowing. "It's hard to explain."

"Try us," I leaned foreword.

She looked at us as if trying to figure out whether to trust us or not. Finally, she shook her head. "You have to swear you won't tell anyone. I'm risking enough just talking about my past."

"We swear!" Evra and me shouted in unison. The suspense was nearly killing us.

Twig pressed her lips together firmly before starting in a low voice, "When I was a little girl, I remember…"

**A/N: Sorry, I know it's short and it's a bit of a cliffhanger… oh well. R&R. **


	3. A Tangled Web

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in so long! SO much stuff has happened in my life and I couldn't keep up. My crush who I have been trying to get to go out with me for about seven months now has a girlfriend and it hit me hard cuz this guy means a lot to me. My parents got a divorce, also very difficult, and I'm constantly feeling tired and emotional. Again, very, very sorry for the delay. **

Chapter three: A tangled web

Twig paused in the middle of her sentence and sighed heavily. "When I was younger, my parents and I lived far away, in Ukraine. I never learned to speak much Ukranian though. My house was built by my mother and father somewhere in a forest, deeply secluded. We lived in a miniscule, tightly knit communitity. Everyone knew everyone else. My kin were not like ordinary people, though. We were some sort of ancient race, but no one ever really explained to me about our past." She paused again, her marmalade eyes burning with ire.

She continued. "My family and I were not close. My father was incredibly strict and showed little if any love for me at all. My mother tried to make up for his lack of affection, but it hardly did much for me. I had a good friend though, Sphynx. She was like my salvation from my father when things got really bad at my home. Me and her would go off and pick flowers in a nearby meadow for hours on end, talking about whatever came to mind. We were only little toddlers, but we talked about the deepest subjects.

"One day, many men with white coats and white cars came, invading our hidden-away village. They burned everything." She began playing with a small flower petal. "My mother, Sphynx and I were picking flowers that day." Her voice grew considerably quieter. "That day was the last time that I saw them, before the maleficent men seperated us. They threw my mother into a van with all the women, and me and Sphynx into a van with the children. I don't know what they did to my father." She glanced at me before moving on. "The men toke me and my people to a laboratory and began performing experiments on us. I remember watching from my plastic cell, a baby being injected with poison. I could hear the mother sobbing somewhere. I was so afraid then.

"They treated us like dirt and kept us in solitary confinment chambers. To them, we were strictly scientific expiriments. They gave me shots of chemicals and diseases but I never reacted to them, and this frusterated the scientists. They did all they could to see what would kill me. They ran me over with cars, dropped me off twenty-foot buildings, and kept me in rooms filled with carbon monoxide. Though I suffered, I survived.

"I remember that day. The day when one of my people finally died. I could hear the white-coated men talking about it, and I also remember feeling that same fear when I saw the baby being injected. Soon after, another one died, then another, and another. Until more then half of my race was eaten away. That was eight years after I was captured, and I decided that for my own sake, I needed to get away. Gathering whatever was left of my strength, I clawed painfully through the walls of my cell and ran away as fast as my legs could carry me, vowing that when I was older, I would return to my home and avenge the deaths of my loved ones." She glared at me with such a passionate hate that I had to look away. Evra was thoughtfully stroking his snake.

"That was nearly six years ago. Right now, I'm 15 human years old. I've learned to speak around 7 languages, and travelled to around twenty countries searching for others who had survived. I'm almost positive there are others." She pluckde a soft petal off of the flower clutched in her hand.

"What happened to your mother and your friend?" Evra asked softly.

Twig raised her eyebrows quizzically. "I don't know," She answered, her voice clear and empty of the emotion that she had felt just minutes ago. "All I can do now is pray that they're alright."

I was, once again, shocked that beneath that rock solid extrior, Twig had feelings other then hatred.

"Well, now you know my lovely life story," She leaned on back on her hands and looked my way. "What's yours?"

I openly told her, although with some heartache, about how I had stolen Mr. Crepsley's spider and how she bit steve, causing the chain of events that led to me becoming a half-vampire, faking my death, leaving behind my friends and family and joining the cirque. I told her about Murlough and Debbie and my adventures with Sam and the wolfman and R.V.

Evra then chirped in with his bitter past, explaining how his parents were completely normal, and they had given him away and left him in an orphanage. Twig nodded her head almost empathetically, if she was capable of empathy at all. Evra told her about how he stayed with a different circus until Mr. Tall showed up and in turn she shared her journeyes through the Spanish Catabrian desert and how she stowed away on a theive's ship and ended up traveling here a year ago.

"You hid away on a theive's ship?" I gawked in disbeleif. She snorted.

"There's _a lot_ you still don't know about me," She smirked. "And just 'cause we had this little 'heart-to-heart', don't expect us to become friends."

"Don't worry about that," Evra rolled his eyes with a grin and stood. By now it was getting dark and the three of us began to head towards our tent.

Mr. Tall rapidly approached us, a discontented look upon his face. "Twig," he said in his alto voice. "Mr. Tiny needs a word with you." His face darkened. "They're close by, he says."

Twig's ginger eyes widened and she hurried away, towing after Mr. Tall. I turned to Evra, who looked a bit disturbed. "What do you think _that's_ all about?" I asked. He shrugged, but I could tell something was bothering him.

It was well into the night, but neither me nor Evra could close our eyes and sleep.

"She's an odd one, isn't she?" He said while laying in his hammock, stroking his snake's throat lovingly.

"Yeah," I agreed, staring up at the ceiling of our tent. I glanced to my left. A hammock had been posted up for Twig today, even though she said she preferred sleeping on the floor.

The tent flap flew open and Twig ran in, promptly falling into her hammock. I sat up to see her clearly. She seemed worried.

"What happened?" I asked. Evra sat up too, his snake coiling around him.

"Nothing," Her voice trembled, but I knew better then to ask anymore questions. She'd just push me away.

"Tell us more about your travels through Spain," Evra said hopefully.

She smiled rottenly. "My, my, aren't we **nosy**?" She snickered.

"Oh come on," I groaned. "We're dying of boredom here, we need something to keep us alive, and besides, do you have anything better to do?"

Another smirk crept onto her face. "You need something to keep you alive? Come here." She ordered, sitting on the floor. Evra and I jumped out of our hammocks, sat in front of her and waited. She crossed her legs into an indian style.

"This game is called, 'Scream', and it's simple. The only rule is that you can't scream, or else you lose the game."

Evra and I exchanged suspicious looks but decided to play, agreeing that we were not cowards.

For the longest ten minutes, we just stared at her in complete silence. I don't think Twig ever moved or blinked once during that period of time.

Without any warning what-so-ever, she leapt foreward in one effortless motion, letting out a tiger-like growl. Evra and I were caught competely off guard and fell back, letting out an inevitable _scream._

Twig brust out in a hysterical fit of laughter, grasping her sides, tears forming at her eyes from her laughing.

Slowly, Evra and I began to laugh as well until the three of us were dying with laughter.

Mr. Crepsley popped his head in, looking rather annoyed. "I have already received several complaints about the noise level rising in this tent. Make sure I do not get anymore," He warned before slowly leaving.

Twig wiped away her tears and sighed. "You should have seen your faces, they were so priceless!" She laughed. I noticed then that I had never heard her laugh before. I had heard her cackle like a witch, but never really laugh.

"Now will you tell us about Spain?" Evra pleaded after regaining his composure.

Twig huffed, "You are never gonna leave me alone, are you?"

Both of us grinned wickedly and she sighed in expasperation but began telling us about her emprises. "Hmm, there was this one time when we sailed to Africa and bartered with other theives along the Ivory Coast," She dug back into her memory.

"Are _that many_ theives sailing the seven seas?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yep. Anyways, it was there that I aquired my quartz knife." She pulled a small, translucent knife on a silver blade out of her pocket. "It's not rare or difficult to make, but it's definetly an asset."

"Have you ever used it?" Evra asked.

"No, but I will if I have to," She answered, then went on. "We also traveled to Somalia, Emen and Oman. Nothing special. We did go through the Carribean Sea though. The Bahamas are inexplicable. I also got to see the Panama Canal, the Gulf of Panama and Chiclayo, which is near the Andes. The Galapagos islands were interesting." She stopped, thinking. "While we were on the Sargas Sea, the captain, Diamond, fell ill and I talked the crew into a mutiny. Unfortunatly, Diamond was too smart for me and that plan backfired. They eventually dropped me off here, and I've been a wanderer ever since. Before that, though, I saw the Celebes Sea, the Banda Sea, the Bermuda Triangle, the Flores Sea, the Philipine Sea…" her voice drifted away a bit as a distant look appeared on her face. "Burma was the most memorable of them all, however." She drawled.

"What happened in Burma?" Evra asked, poking her shoulder and trying to snap her out of it.

"I'll tell you later," She snapped. "Besides, I'd like to keep some things to myself."

"How did you earn all the money to go to those places?" I asked.

She shot me the glare to end all glares. "I performed services, all right?" She barked.

"Sorry," I mumbled. She bid us good-night right after and quickly crawled into her hammock. Evra did too, and both fell asleep quickly. I was left wandering about Twig's mysterious past and how much she hadn't told me. I eventually fell asleep. But there was one little mistake I had made.

I had forgotten about Mr. Tall's expression when he told her about the ones who were close by. If only I had remembered, then Evra and I wouldn't have been caught up in Twig's tangled web.

**A/N: Yep, that's it. Oh, by the by, I only own Twig, Captain Diamond and the sailors under his command, Sphynx and Nephthys (who'll appear later on). The rest belong to the talented Mr. Shan.**


	4. A Perilous and Internecine Journey

**A/N: Did I mention that this is set right after book 3? You know how there's this 6-year gap between book 3 and book 4? Well, this is what happened during those six years. Just saying, since I thought that it wasn't obvious enough. And I apologize for this chapter coming so late, which I admit, is due to pure laziness. Forgive me? Puppy eyes**

Chapter Four: A Perilous and Internecine Journey

I awoke with a start, drenched in a cold sweat. Another damned nightmare. I noticed Twig's hammock was empty, as usual. I glanced at Evra. He was on his side; his snake curled up beside him, his breathing deep and regular.

Sighing, I lay my head back down, a frown settling over my face. I never got up so early in the past, but my dreams were surprisingly disturbing lately. The oddest thing, however, was that I couldn't recall what had actually scared me.

Deciding that sleep was not one of my options, I reluctantly clambered out of my hammock and made my way out of the tent to find Twig or someone else I could hang out with until Evra got up. Not that I was worried about her. It had been nearly four weeks since her arrival at the Cirque. Everyday, whenever I woke up, Twig would be gone. I'd usually find her mid-afternoon, but she'd never tell me where she had gone off to. Evra tried questioning her, with the same results. Eventually, we figured that it was unimportant and dropped the matter.

The Cirque started up again a week and a half after Twig's arrival, and everything seemed normal. Well, as normal as things could possibly get.

Then came the nightmares. At first, I thought nothing of them, until I reported them to Mr. Crepsley, who said he'd been experiencing the exact same thing. He disregarded them, but after the first week he grew worried. No one could explain why we were having these "conjoined dream sequences", as he'd called them.

I was so deep in thought that I hadn't realized I was wandering aimlessly. I stopped to examine my surroundings. It was early morning, so a lot of the performers were still abed. Some of the cooks were milling about, getting prepared for breakfast. Since Twig's arrival, the Cirque had moved only once, far away from our last spot. Far, far away. It was almost ridiculous because on no notice at all, Mr. Tall had ordered the entire camp to pack up immediately and leave no evidence that we were ever there. It was total chaos. No one had expected such a sudden, hasty leave. Everyone was running about, putting things away, cleaning up. Then we drove. The drive toke hours and hours, I almost expected it to never end, but it did. We finally settled in a small, rural town on the coast. There was a large dock only half a mile away, with large ships that looked like they were from the 1800's, with big masts and sails and completely made of wood. I didn't acknowledge the dock much, but little did I know it was going to be my gateway into a dangerous journey.

I continued walking around sorting my thoughts. The Cirque was on yet another break, which was strange because two breaks so close together, is rare.

We had set up close to the docks so I could smell the bracing salty Atlantic Ocean air. Gulls circled above and cried out as, far away, a wave crested and fell onto the shore. It was so soothing that I had to stop again.

Out of no where, a hand clasped over my mouth and an arm quickly ensnared my waist. I gasped and a voice whispered into my ear, "Shhhhhh!"

"Twig?" I mumbled through the hand in surprise. "Whaf aw yeh doong?"

"What?" She hissed, rapidly dragging me behind an empty tent.

"I said, 'what are you doing?" I studied her face. She had a peculiar determined look, like that of a young child.

"Where's Evra? Is he still asleep?" She demanded, seeming even more child-like. "And Mr. Crepsley? Is he in his van? And that man, oh, what was his name? The one that's very short and carries that strange watch?"

"Mr. Tiny?" I smiled lopsidedly. 'How could anyone forget a name like Mr. Tiny?' I thought. 'She remembered Evra, but not Mr. Tiny?'

"Yes, yes, I need to have a word with them," She paused, looking over her shoulder with her nose in the air, "And you." Her tone had shifted from innocent and naïve to serious and almost grave.

I nodded quickly and gestured for her to follow. We found Evra in his hammock, still asleep. Twig shook him wildly and he groaned. "What?" His voice was drenched in sleep.

"Get up, this is important. And bring your snake too," She looked him up and down with a sarcastic smile. "You look so nice in the morning."

Evra rolled his eyes and hopped out of his hammock and wrapped his snake around his shoulders. She beckoned for us to come, and led us to Mr. Crepsley's van. I knew that he wasn't asleep yet, probably contemplating some philosophical subject that none of us understood.

Twig knocked unmercifully on the van; not stopping until the door swung open and Mr. Crepsley's annoyed expression met ours.

"Come," She nodded her head. "We need to talk to Mr. Tall." I sighed.

"Exactly how many more people are we going to talk to now?" I asked, exasperated.

"This is the last one and, quit complaining, you're such an asshole." She quirked a brow with a look of disdain. "Of course, what else is new?"

Mr. Crepsley snorted but looked as if he was about to burst out laughing. I just growled at her while Evra snickered.

"Is perchance this about…?" Mr. Crepsley and Twig exchanged knowing looks as she nodded.

The four of us continued on to Mr. Tall's caravan and entered without any notice. "Mr. Tall?" Twig called out.

The altitudinous man was hovering behind us. "Yes?" It wasn't very shocking that he had appeared out of no where as he usually did, because all of us were used to it.

"As you know, Mr. Tall," She began, sounding very business-like, not at all like her usual spiteful, catty tone. "Today is the day that my close acquaintance docks at the wharf with his crew. He will be expecting a small army to say the least, so I have come to ask of you a favor." I gawked at Twig. She had never sounded so… so _civil_.

"Continue," Mr. Tall nodded.

"With your permission of course, I want to bring Evra, Darren, Mr. Crepsley and perhaps a few generals too. We could do with all the help that you can lend." She had to tip her head back a bit just to look at Mr. Tall's face because of her petite stature. "It… would be for the best, wouldn't it?" She wrung her hands together. I just stared at her with a bemused expression. This was not her at all, it was obvious to everyone she was faking her dulcet and innocent persona.

"How would your comrade react to having several vampires and a snake-boy on board?" Mr. Tall said as he mulled over Twig's offer.

Twig sniggered, sounding more like herself again. "Rest assured, _Hibernius_," she drawled his name. "He has seen many a stranger thing." She shrugged. "And he has met his share of vampires. He has mentioned several of them to me." By now my interest had piqued and I was listening intently.

Mr. Tall looked slightly troubled. "Darren and Evra though, would they be capable to survive this quest?"

Twig through her arm around my shoulder and the other around Evra. "I'm sure they are. That is, if all of the things they tell me are true, they're more then capable."

Mr. Tall sighed. "It would be a great gamble…" He began.

I grimaced. "Wait, what's going on? What are you talking about?"

"I'm sure you remember me telling you about my… 'comrade', Captain Diamond. Well, he's arriving shortly and he'll be taking us on a little trip… with the permission of Mr. Tall, of course."

"Darren, Evra," Mr. Tall gave us looks that I could not decipher. "If you agree to accompany Twig, you will also agree to a perilous if not internecine journey." I didn't quite understand what Mr. Tall had said, but I couldn't help but wonder.

"Where exactly will we be going?" Evra asked.

Twig flashed her trademark smirk. "A perilous and internecine journey," Her tone was facetious. "I'm joining Captain Diamond in his search for my people. After contacting him, he agreed to help me, for a small fee."

"You mean, all we're doing is searching for missing people while sailing the seas?" Evra glanced at me. "It doesn't sound too hard."

I nodded. "It _has_ been a while since we've been out and away from the Cirque," I turned to Twig. "Ok, I guess we'll go with you. After all, how hard could it be?"

The only response I got from her was a cryptic grin.

**A/N: yep… that's the whole chapter. I know, I know, it's a bit short, but the next one will be longer _I promise._ For now, R&R!**


	5. Pushing the Limit

**A/N: Again, sorry for the delay. My life is so hectic! Total craziness. Anyways, I noticed I haven't replied to a lot of the reviews so here goes nothing:**

**Collins: Yes, Mr. Crepsley is gonna be in this fanfic, but I'm sorry to say he won't be making very many appearances. Sorry! Hope you're not disappointed.**

**Tory Shan/Shadow Goddess Akhet/Where's-the-rum-gone?-2004: All I can say is, thanks for the reviews! And once again, I am _so_ sorry about the huge time gaps between my chapters.**

**Chapter five: Pushing the limit**

We spent much of the day packing and being basically idle. It was 4:00 in the afternoon, and me, Twig and Evra were dozing in the shadow of a tall, aged willow tree near-by the docks. Seagulls were calling to eachother lazily while the hot afternoon sun beat down onto the ground with no mercy. Mr. Crepsley had disappeared into his van and soon after Mr. Tall had said he would pack the rest of our bags for us so the three of us decided unanimously that we were going to do nothing the rest of the day.

At first, it was perfect. A day with nothing to do at the Cirque was not heard of, so I relished it. Then it became a little bit boring. Actually, a lot boring. I peered at Twig. She was lying flat on her back, her head resting on one arm while the other was on her abdomen, her long thin fingers tapping rhythmically on her stomach. Her shocking eyes were closed and sticking out of her mouth was a long piece of grass.

I heard Evra sigh quietly, and then shift around and sigh again. "Is anyone else bored?" he asked while stroking his snake's head.

"Mmmmmhmmmhmmm," Twig stretched, and I thought she was falling asleep. Her accusing eyes shot open and bore into mine. 'Oh no,' I thought. 'What'd I do this time?'

"You always watch me," She pointed out, rolled over onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows. "Are you attracted, lover-boy?"

"Wha- no!" I spluttered in disgust. _Never_ in my long, miserable life would I _ever_ even consider enjoying her presence! "You're a lunatic. You're deranged, insane, maniacal, delirious, mad!" I struggled to bring my point across.

She just tipped her head to side. "Aww, you noticed!" Her tone was mocking me. No, her daunting _eyes_ were mocking me.

I picked up a small rock and flung it at her head. "Shut up," I grumbled.

She bit her tongue cheekily. "Just kiddin' with you, blood-sucker." She hissed, making my blood run cold.

"Are you two at it again?" Evra laughed. "My god, you're like a bad married couple." He added haughtily.

Twig and me simultaneously sprung up. "WHAT!" We both spat at Evra, who wasn't looking so tough anymore.

"Kidding!" He said, bring his hands up to his face to protect himself. "I was kidding!" Twig and I backed down. "What, I can't make a joke?" He pretended to be hurt.

Twig snickered with her mouth closed so it sounded like, 'Hmmhmmhmmhmm,'. It reminded me how a stuck-up girl at my old school had laughed. "You're so funny, Snakey." She rolled over again so that her head was resting on my lap. I shuffled uncomfortably, but I didn't move her head. It made me feel nervous whenever Twig would get so close to Evra or me. She seemed to think it was completely natural to be intimate with everyone.

I remembered one night in particular when Mr. Crepsley had reclined onto a couch and Twig dropped down beside him immediately. At that point, it seemed perfectly innocent… until she curled up into his arm, nuzzling his neck with her head like a cat would do. I swear I heard her start to purr.

I had never seen Mr. Crepsley turn such a deep shade of red before. I noticed that his scarlet suit seemed lighter then his face and I had to leave the room because I couldn't control my laughter! When I mentioned the incident to Twig, she acted shocked that I found her actions indecent and just scoffed at me, dropping the subject completely.

"Hey Twig," Evra said, also turning so that he was on his stomach. "You never did tell us where you'd always go in the mornings."

She had a witty smile on her face and held a finger up to Evra's mouth. "Tsk, tsk young Evra. Have you no manners? Asking such personal questions." She was sarcastic, as usual. Evra rolled his eyes and turned his head.

"So, Darrrrrren," She rolled the R's of my name. "Ever had a girlfriend before? I mean, a real one? Not like that Debbie girl, but one who actually did things for you?" She asked, being very hypocritical since she had just told Evra not to ask personal questions.

Trying not to blush, I managed, "Curiosity killed the cat."

Twig smirked. "Satisfaction brought him back," She lowered her voice so that it was soft and mellow. She rose a hand to my face, touched my temple, then letting her fingertips trail down my cheekbone and along my jaw. I tensed up, my limit being thoroughly pushed.

"It's funny," She said slowly. "How easily I could disconcert you. Why do I make you blush so hard?" She stroked my cheek with one fingertip. It wasn't a rough, scratching motion but rather the kind that a mother would do to soothe her child. My eyelids fluttered and I carefully toke her hand into mine, leading it away from my face.

"Ok, this has gone far enough." I said, still blinking hard. "You have _got_ to stop… touching me!" I tried not to sound upset because somehow I knew it was what she wanted.

"Fine," She shrugged. "But you have to let go of my hand." She smiled at me with her shrewd grin. I just turned my head and thrust her hand out of my grasp.

I awoke the next morning, my nightmares plaguing me more then ever. They had become more vivid, but I could never grasp what had really scared me.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty," Twig said as she ruffled my hair. "We sail in an hour."

"Where's Evra?" I asked groggily.

"He's been up since 5:30 AM, packing up the last essentials," She paused. "He's quite the asset if you know how to use him." Before I could reply she rushed out. I couldn't help but think how incredibly obscene and dirty that sentence had sounded.

After dressing up in my regular costume, I stepped outside to look for Twig and Evra, as usual. I found them (or rather, collided into them) by Mr. Crepsley's van.

She snorted disapprovingly then said, with that irritating sarcastic voice, "You'll fit right in," Twig looked me up and down. "You ready?"

"For what?" I asked.

"You agreed to accompany me on my… 'quest' to find my people," She said, folding her arms. "So, aaarrreee yyyooouuu rrreeeaaadddyyy?" She talked like I was demented and couldn't understand her.

I shrugged, feeling as if this wasn't a big deal and I would be back at the Cirque soon. "I guess,"

"Good," She nodded. "Follow me, my ever-grateful lackeys." She threw her chin up and gestured with her hand to follow, reminding me of a conceited queen. I looked at Evra and he just mouthed, 'I don't know.'

Twig always said odd things at odd times, and no one could really understand why. I always thought, actually I knew, that Twig was simply out of her mind. Sometimes she'd act like she hated the world and it's inhabitants, and other times she'd be so affectionate that it was unsettling. Of course, everything about her was unsettling.

I didn't know where we were going, but Twig seemed to know. She was now acting much like a slave driver, ordering us around like a bunch of imbeciles who had no minds of their own. While she carried one light bag full of who knows what, the rest of us were dragging four heavy suitcases behind ourselves.

She led us down to the docks. No surprise. It was early in the morning, around 6:30, but it was already full of people. I noticed that I had not seen one fancy yacht or big cruise ship since we had gotten there. I asked about it.

"It is not an ordinary dock, Darren," Mr. Crepsley began to explain while Twig went off to search for someone named Penelope. "It is actually illegal for it to still be running its services, but the authorities have given up trying to stop people from coming here. Think of it as the Black Market of the sea."

I slowly nodded my head. Twig came rushing back to us. "They're here," She panted, obviously out of breath from running. "Come on, hurry."

I hadn't noticed that she had been gone for a good half-hour. The sun was up by two thirds and the docks had become crowded. Once again, the seagulls I had come to know and love came in circled flight about the small gulf.

"Alright," Twig said in a very strict, strong tone while walking swiftly towards a ship. "There are a few things you should know about this trip. One, you are not to disobey anything that Captain Diamond says. You are under his command as of now. Two, remember this quote and hold onto it like your life depends on it: 'Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning.' This means that if you see a red sky at night, the waters will be calm and safe for sailing in the morning. Red sky in the morning, the waters will be rough. If birds are flying high above the sails the weather will be poor. Another little saying that's useful is 'rain before seven, fine before eleven.' It explains itself. This one I'm not very sure of, but if you dream of horses while aboard, it means there is a storm and you must report your dream immediately.

"Third, you _will_ be assigned certain duties, you can be sure of that. If you do not complete these tasks you will be dismissed from the ship. Fourth, no brawls, fights, scraps, battles, scuffles, duels, face-offs, quarrels or aggressive disagreement of any sort. It will not be tolerated. Fifth, you have to earn your meal by working." She began to take long strides up a steep wooden staircase that led up to a tall sailing ship. "Sixth, you are expected to attend early morning self-defense seminars and once a month you must have an arranged duel. This is not like rule four because it is arranged. You may be excused from your duel if you're ill, weak, disabled or bedridden. If you are disabled you will be escorted off the ship to the nearest city, is that clear and do you have any questions?" She melded her last few sentences together.

"Uh, no," I said. It was a bit confusing but I got the gist of it.

Twig sighed, then smiled pleasantly. "Good," She turned around and continued up the staircase. When we reached the top we found ourselves on an old-style vessel, the kind you'd see in movies: Wooden masts, deck etc. It looked like a frigate ship.

A young man dressed in a red pea jacket approached us. He looked like he was in his mid to early twenties. He had a long, fine face and short silvery-white hair, and a smirk just like Twig's.

"My dear, dear Exodus," he walked up behind Twig, placing a hand on each of her shoulders and placing a delicate kiss on her fair cheek. "How have you been my little tart?"

For the first time, I saw discomfort and slight fear in her fierce eyes. When she didn't answer, he walked around in front of her. "My, you've grown. Last I saw you, you were a tiny little piece of skin and bone." He paused. "Then again, maybe you haven't changed."

Mr. Crepsley cleared his throat loudly.

"Would you lay off?" She snarled, then turned to us. "Larten, Evra, Darren, this is Captain Diamond."

My mouth dropped like a dead fly. He didn't look like a pirate at all! He was clean and well dressed for that fact. Plus, he was pretty youthful.

Diamond began to circle us while Twig watched. "So, this is who you bring me, Exodus? Two skinny, weak boys and a man who looks old enough to be my father? Really, you could've done better."

"Shut up!" She snapped. "And my name is Twig."

**TBC**

**R&R! **

**Frigate ship info Frigates formed the backbone of the early American Navy. These wooden warships sailed quickly across the seas to protect merchant shipping, capture enemy cargo, and fight battles with enemy ships. A typical American frigate was a square-rigged, three-masted ship. Frigates were built with oak, pine, and elm wood. A frigate had many levels, or decks, that were used for different reasons. The open upper deck, called the spar deck, carried short-barreled guns called carronades used at close range. The gun deck, the next one down, was lined wiht heavy guns on each side of the ship. Below that was the berthing deck where the ship's crew slept in hammocks and ate their meals. The orlop was a small storage deck that doubled as the ship's hospital during battle. All supplies were stowed in the hold, the lowest deck on any ship. The oldest American frigate is USS _Constitution_. **-http/www.history.navy.mil/branches/teach/ships/ships5.htm


	6. So so sorry

** Collins and any other readers who are still interested**- Oh my god I'm soooooooo sorry but I'm having the worst writer's block ever! You have no idea. Plus, I am busy beyond compare. Right now I have exams and I have to study my butt off or else face the consequences… but I do promise that as soon as this damned writer's block dissipates and my exams are over, I will continue the fanfic. It's half-done anyway, so just have patience for now. I feel so bad but there's nothing I can do!


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